Low light situations create difficult conditions for photographers attempting to capture a scene under these low light conditions. Low light situations typically require a long exposure time for the camera to collect enough light for a useful and pleasing image.
Photographers have used long exposure times (e.g., many seconds to many minutes) in order to collect enough light for the image to be sensed. In one approach, light meters are employed in order for the photographer to gauge approximately how long to expose the film. Unfortunately, this process involves “trial and error” and guesswork.
When a film camera is utilized, a photographer “brackets” the scene by trying several exposure times, where there is one exposure time for each frame of film. When the film is later developed, the photographer simply picks the best exposure or the best overall image. As can be appreciated, this process wastes film and does not guarantee an acceptable image. Moreover, by the time the photographer realizes that the exposure times employed are incorrect, the scene is no longer available for capture. Consequently, this approach creates missed opportunities and the inability to go back in time to re-capture the scene.
When a digital camera is utilized, the problem is lessened in that the image can typically be reviewed by the photographer at the location of the image capture without the delay of having to process the film in a darkroom. In other words, the user receives feedback from a digital camera after the image is captured. For example, a photographer can view the pictures after the photographer shoots the picture. The user can then select the best pictures and delete the remaining pictures without wasting film. In this manner, the photographer does not waste money on developing film and printing photos that are not of value to the photographer.
However, even in this second approach that uses a digital camera, the selection of a “good” exposure occurs after the fact (i.e., after the picture has been taken). In the event the picture is not “good”, the scene must be re-shot in order to obtain the proper exposure. As can be appreciated, this “trial and error” method can result in missed photographic opportunities in a variety of different situations. For example, a setting moon or other scene that has changing parameters.
Accordingly, it would be desirable for there to be a mechanism that provides visual feedback to the photographer during exposure of a picture so that a photographer can control the exposure time based on the visual feedback.
Based on the foregoing, there remains a need for a user-controlled exposure method and system with visual feedback that overcomes the disadvantages set forth previously.